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How To Live Joyfully

“… So that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” - from Colossians 1:11-12

At first glance it appears that the author of Colossians has placed the adverb “joyfully” in a very odd spot… We had just received the challenge, maybe even burden of leading worthy lives and bearing good fruit. On top of that we were told that we were going to need a lot patience and endurance to do so.

Where does the joy come from? According to the author, the joy comes from our understanding that we are part of something far bigger than ourselves. The darkness of this world no longer sucks us into a black hole of hopelessness, despair, and resignation. We are children of the light, full inheritors of a deeper richer life eternal, full citizens of the kingdom of God among us.

Living worthily, and bearing good fruit are the inevitable results of our determination to live in love and practice universal shalom. Our joy comes from learning to do so well.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Colossians #wisdom #knowledge #spiritualinowledge #joy

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Let Us Learn How To Live

“… Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” From Colossians 1:9-10

Good will and good intentions are necessary but in themselves are insufficient to allow us to lead lives that truly honor God. We also have to be continuously learning, developing, and growing our capacity to carry out these good intentions.

As Maya Angelou says “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” The prayer here in Colossians echoes the sentiment of Psalm 86, “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth”

Let us never stop learning how to live and love.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Colossians #wisdom #knowledge #spiritualinowledge

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A Prayer For A Different Kind of Power

“May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience…”- Colossians 1:11

The type of power the writer of Colossians is describing here is very different from what we normally think of as power. The kingdoms of this world associate power with physical or military strength, money or economic power, and social status, popularity or influence.

The writer of Colossians doesn’t pray that we have any of these types of power. Instead the writer essentially prays for us to have the power of patience, persistence, and endurance.

Things seldom happen the way we want them to, and almost never happen as soon as we want them to. We have to be patient.

And we often fail many times before we gain the insight and develop the skills we need. We have to persist.

Above all, we have to have the strength to endure, when the going gets tough and we feel like we’ve come to the end of our ropes.

Spiritual power isn’t about money, physical strength or influence. Spiritual power is a different kind of power. It’s the power to be patient, to be persistent, and to endure.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #power #spiritualpower #Colossians

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By Loving Not Believing Correctly

“Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" - Luke 10:25

Don’t misunderstand the question. The lawyer wasn’t asking Jesus how he could get into heaven after he died. He was asking how he could experience the deepest, fullest, most meaningful, and satisfying life.

The answer is simple, but it is not easy. The answer is love. First we love God with everything we have living life with equal parts wonder, appreciation, and gratitude.

Next we love, honor, respect, and care for ourselves, seeing ourselves as God’s handcrafted masterpieces, created in God’s own image with the breath of life flowing through our bodies. Then we love, honor, respect and care for everyone else.

In illustration of what this looks like, Jesus told the story of a traveler who had been robbed, beaten and left for dead. Three people saw him. Two of them the priest and the Levite, had correct beliefs, but they left him lying in the road. One, the Samaritan had incorrect beliefs but stopped to help.

Only one of these three would be able to experience eternal life, the one who practiced love not the ones who believed correctly.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Luke10 #goodsamaritan #eternallife #heaven

#love

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Who Are The Gods?

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.” - Psalm 82:1

Who are these gods that the Lord God is meeting with in the divine council? Who is accountable for the state of things in this world?

Some of you reading and or listening to this may be shocked to learn that the answer is us. We are: “I say, "You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you” (82:6)

We are gods, children of the Most High and we are responsible for creating and maintaining a world where we:

“Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.”

“Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

What are we doing to meet our responsibilities of welcoming the stranger, caring for the marginalized, setting free the oppressed, and binding up the broken hearted?

If this Psalm is to be taken seriously, that’s the answer God is looking for from us.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #psalm82 #justice #wellbeing #freedom

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You Don’t Have To Be Dead To Experience Eternal Life

“ …If you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” - Galatians 6:8

The concept of eternal means without beginning or ending. The concept of eternal life in Galatians speaks less to the life we expect to experience in the future and more to the quality of life we can experience now.

This is the same concept that Jesus describes as the Kingdom of God. At various times Jesus said the Kingdom of God is near, it’s within us, it’s among us, and that some of us won’t taste dead until we experience in our lives with power.

Our experience of this life will remain impoverished if we keep future dating the meaning of eternal life.

Paul’s concept of sowing to the spirit here is a continuation of his contrasts between the life and lives we experience when we are Spirit led versus when we are not.

Reaping eternal life is not to primarily be seen as getting a reward in the next life. Rather it means we begin to experience a love without beginning or end, a joy without beginning or end, a peace without beginning or end, and so on.

We don’t have to be dead to experience eternal life. When we give ourselves over to the Spirit, we begin to experience it now, and the early Christians believed we would experience it without ending.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Galations6 #fruitofthespirit #eternallife

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When We Feel Like God Is Angry With Us

“For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” - Psalm 30:5

Sometimes life is so hard, so unfair, and so cruel that it feels like God is angry with us. It feels like we are being punished. It especially feels that way when we know we have done something wrong.

Some people see religion as a tool used by the powerful to manipulate and control the masses with its offers of reward and threats of punishment, up to and including eternal damnation.

But God is a God of Love. Where there’s love, there’s warmth, and welcome, and safety. Where there’s love there’s redemption and reconciliation. Where there’s love there’s kindness, compassion, and patience.

Hell is anyplace where there’s an absence of love. God doesn’t send anyone to hell. God is the voice to call us out, the hands, arms and feet to lead and guide us out, to carry and or drag us out.

God’s love is for a lifetime, for eternity. We may be in a night of misery, but joy is coming in the morning.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #Psalm30 #restoration #gladness #joy #anger #hell #redemption #reconciliation

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Hope, Humility, Time and Consistency

“So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan… his flesh was restored… and he was clean.” - 2 Kings 5:14

Healing and restoration seldom happen the way we expect them to. They seldom happen the way we want them to. And they always seem to take longer than we want them to. But the story of Naaman reminds us that healing and restoration can and do happen.

Naaman was healed and restored in part because made the best of his circumstances. He refused to be marginalized by a condition that marginalized many. Over time he rose to become a beloved husband, general, and head of household.

Over time he became the kind of consistent leader his subordinates wished well, the kind of subordinate his leader wished well, and the kind of spouse his wife wished well.

He was healed and restored because he never gave up hope. He was humble and willing to listen to good advice. He was willing to go places he didn’t want to go and do things he didn’t want to do.

We don’t know if his healing took place gradually during his seven times or all at once when the seven times were completed. We do know Naaman’s healing took hope, humility, time and consistency.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

#60secondsofhope #Devotion #inspiration #dailydevotion #dailyinspiration #dailymeditation #discipleship #positivemindset #dailydevotional #positivity #growth #personaldevelopment #healing #2Kings5 #Naaman

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